DESPERADOES GOES TO THE MECCA OF PAN
Hopefully, by the end of February 2022, Desperadoes Steel Orchestra will be moving to its new home, dubbed "The Mecca of Pan" by Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley before turning the sod at the new premises, located at the bottom of Nelson Street, Port-of-Spain, on Tuesday, August 17.
To be constructed at the cost of $14M by Urban Development Company of T&T (UDECOTT), the pan theatre will be a multi-functional facility housing a performance space, car park, bleachers and commercial booths and kiosks.
The sod-turning was attended by RC Archbishop Charles Jason Gordon; Bishop Ernest Mohammed of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Spiritual Baptist Church Metaphysics; Port-of-Spain South MP Keith Scotland; Minister of Tourism, Culture and the Arts Randall Mitchell; Energy Minister Stuart Young; UDECOTT Chairman Noel Garcia; Witco MD Laurent Meffre; Pan Trinbago Inc President Beverly Ramsey-Moore; Pan Trinbago Inc Northern Region Chairman Desiree Myers; and, Desperadoes Board Chairman Dr Finbar Fletcher.
Also in attendance were members of the Desperadoes Elders Organisation including Matthew Cox, Avery Ammon, Gregory "Lee" Perrotte and Jerry Waldron, and veteran Desperadoes members Anthony Joseph, "Thunderbolt" Williams and Kenneth Charles.
In his feature address, the prime minister offered words of advice to the management of Desperadoes, urging them to properly manage and maintain the facility, making it a gem in the Port-of-Spain revitalization initiative. He also stated that construction of the complex is being funded by "taxpayers' money" and wasn't a gift from the government.
Both the prime minister and tourism minister spoke of the limitless potential in making the facility a viable destination for tourists coming to the country, especially those from cruise ships.
The prime minister said that Desperadoes will continue to have a presence up Laventille Hill, its birthplace, adding that the band's Laventille facility will fall within the ambit of the Ministry of Community Development to be an integral component in developing the community of Laventille and its environs.
Until moving into its new facility, Desperadoes Steel Orchestra will continue to occupy its temporary location on Victoria Avenue, Port-of-Spain.
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(Photos by GREGORY "LEE" PERROTTE)